Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Esther M. Friesner

This novel follows the early life of Helen of Troy, before her marriage to Menelaus and prior to becoming Queen of Sparta. Helen begins the story age four and ends it age fourteen, although most of the book is set at the latter age. Central themes explored include Helen’s feelings about her beauty, her family, the gods, her inheritance, growing up as a girl, boys and the elusive concept of freedom. Told in the past tense in the first person, the novel is a lightly narrated look at somewhat(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aegisthus Althaea / Althea Aphrodite Atalanta Castor Clytemnestra Helen Iolaus Leda Meleager Polydeuces Theseus Thyestes Tyndareus

Henry Lion Oldie

Odysseus, the Son of Laertes. Book 1: The Man of Nomos [Одиссей сын Лаэрта. Книга I: Человек Номоса (Odissei syn Laerta. Kniga I: Chelovek Nomosa)]

This is a heroic fantasy fiction based on the myth of Odysseus, aimed at young adults, in novel format. The novel belongs to the Achaean Cycle [Ахейский цикл] of Oldie. The first book – The Man of Nomos – describes the childhood of Odysseus, and explains, how he became “the man of Nomos” – a kind of a person whose greatest value is preservation of his world rather than heroic self-sacrifice. A strange boy, able to see phantoms, ghosts and gods, s(...)

literary

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: Russia

TAGS: Achilles Agamemnon Alkimos Anticlea Athena Autolycos Cronus / Kronos Diomedes (Son of Tydeus) Eumaeus / Eumaios Eurycleia Giants Gigantomachia Hades Helen Hera Heracles Hercules Iolaus Iphigenia / Iphigeneia Laertes Menelaus Odysseus / Ulysses Palamedes Paris (Trojan Prince) Patroclus Penelope Poseidon Priam Telemachus Tyndareus Zeus

Henry Lion Oldie

Odysseus, the Son of Laertes. Book 2: The Man of Kosmos [Одиссей сын Лаэрта. Книга II: Человек Космоса (Odissei syn Laerta. Kniga II: Chelovek Kosmosa)]

This is a heroic fantasy fiction based on the myth of Odysseus, aimed at young adults, in novel format. This book, together with the first book of the same novel, belongs to Oldie’s Achaean cycle [Ахейский цикл]. The plot of the novel is reframing and reinterpretation of Iliad and Odyssey. The Nomos of Odysseus and his friends Mentor and Diomedes breaks out into Cosmos – or, strictly speaking, into The Caldron of Cronus. The famous problem of classical epic – the abso(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: Russia

TAGS: Achilles Agamemnon Alkimos Anticlea Athena Autolycos Cronus / Kronos Diomedes (Son of Tydeus) Eumaeus / Eumaios Eurycleia Hades Helen Hera Heracles Hercules Iolaus Iphigenia / Iphigeneia Laertes Menelaus Mentor Odysseus / Ulysses Palamedes Paris (Trojan Prince) Patroclus Penelope Poseidon Priam Telemachus Tyndareus Zeus

Evi Pini, Elisa Vavouri

The Trojan War. The Beginning of History [Τρωικός Πόλεμος. Η αρχή της ιστορίας (Trōikós Pólemos. Ī archī́ tīs istorías)]

Evi Pini explains how the Trojan War started. The text is in the form of a fairy tale, as implied by the standard phrase “once upon a time” (my translation) at the very beginning. The book begins with Eris and ends with Iphigeneia’s last-minute rescue from being sacrificed to Artemis. Neither fighting nor bloodshed is presented. Instead, we have an account of human and divine passions and emotions, as well as a description of logistical preparations for going to war.&nbs(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Achilles Aeolus Agamemnon Aphrodite Argos (City) Artemis Athena Athens Boeotia Calchas Clytemnestra Crete Diomedes (Son of Tydeus) Eris Euboea Gods Greek History Helen Hera Hermes Idomeneus Iphigenia / Iphigeneia Ithaca Lykomedes Menelaus Menestheus Mycenae Nestor Odysseus / Ulysses Paris (Trojan Prince) Peleus Phocis Priam Pylos Skyros Sparta Thetis Troy Tyndareus Zeus